Tuesday, August 30, 2011

A recent study of the cost of schooling within the US, and the rise of inflation which has made borrowing for an education no longer justifiable to the average American, offers a potential option that not only allows for a Degree from a well-established university, but the change to grow ones horizons by experiencing other cultures.

The option is to go to school outside the United States.

Going to a school overseas ticks a lot of boxes– for one, it’s a hell of a lot cheaper, and you don’t emerge deep in debt like you would back home.Second, the quality of the education is as good if not better than what you would otherwise receive.

Third, and most importantly, it’s just more interesting. The experience abroad will be much more fulfilling, and it will distinguish you from the pool of other candidates who all have generic resumes.

Let’s say you’re an Ivy League type. Why pay Harvard $52,000 per year when you can go to the University of Cambridge in England for around $19,000 per year? Cambridge is consistently rated as one of the top universities in the world: same quality education, a fraction of the price.

If that sounds like too much, consider a place like Hong Kong University. Tuition at Asia’s top school is around $15,000 per year, and there are plenty of scholarships and financial aid packages available. Not to mention you’d be networking with future movers and shakers in the region.

Still too much? Look at Erasmus University in the Netherlands, whose Rotterdam School of Management is one of the top business schools in Europe. Tuition in the all-English program is around $11,500 per year, 73% less than Notre Dame’s Mendoza School, and 26% less than Michigan’s Ross School of Business.

Still too much? Try Qatar University, where there are numerous English-language programs in disciplines such as business and engineering. Tuition for foreign undergraduates is just $4,000 annually, and you’d be spending formative years in one of the world’s most thriving, opportunity-rich economies.

The American Dream website came out with some astonishing data today, showing that the family structure, especially in regards to children, is falling apart in nearly ever aspect. They base this on 30 different statistics that show that child abuse, child welfare, and parental failures in the US are running at an all-time high, and the hope for tomorrow's generation is teetering on the edge of chaos.

Here are a few that stand out.

#1 There are more than 3 million reports of child abuse in the United States every single year.#2 There are 314 counties in the United States where at least 30% of the children are facing food insecurity.#4 If you can believe it, an average of five children die as a result of child abuse in the United States every single day.#5 In the United States today, it is estimated that one out of every four girls is sexually abused before they become adults.#6 The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is now publicly advising parents that infants and young children are "sexual beings".#767 percent of all sexual assault victims in America are children.#9 20 percent of all child sexual abuse victims are under the age of 8.#10 Children in the United States are three times more likely to be prescribed antidepressants than children in Europe are.#11 The United States has the highest divorce rate on the globe by a wide margin. This is ripping millions of families with children to shreds.#13 It is estimated that up to half a million children may currently be homeless in the United States.#15 Our public schools are being transformed into prison camps. Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has announced that school officials can search the cell phones and laptops of public school students at any time if there are "reasonable grounds for suspecting that the search will turn up evidence that the student has violated or is violating either the law or the rules of the school."#20 According to researchers, convicted rapists in the United States report that two-thirds of their victims were under 18, and among those cases 58% said that their victims were 12 years old or younger.#21 Since 1973, approximately 50 million babies have been slaughtered in the United States before they were even born.#22 One out of every four teen girls in the United States now has an STD.#23 It has been reported that Texas police gave "1,000 tickets" to elementary school kids over one recent six year period.#24 The number of young children that are being ripped out of good homes by "child protective services" continues to soar.#26 Law enforcement officials estimate that about 600,000 Americans and about 65,000 Canadians are trading dirty child pictures online.#29 In airports all over the country, many young children are being subjected to "enhanced pat-downs" during which their private parts are touched before they are allowed to get on to their airplanes.#30 It is estimated that 500,000 babies that will be born this year will be sexually abused before they turn 18.

As a result of the volatile trading environment at the present time, please be advised that Exchange margins and House margins are likely to increase over the next couple of days. For exchange- specific increases, please visit the respective websites. IB will also be increasing the gold derivatives margin. Please monitor any affected holdings closely and manage your risk accordingly.

Not that it will matter in the long run, but HEY EUROPE... how did those prohibitions on short trades do for your markets this week?

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Yesterday on CNBC, fund manager Barton Biggs just yesterday said that the market is set to climb 7-9% and rally going forward.

Whooooops!

And like a child who was caught with stolen candy in his pocket, Biggs today on Bloomberg TV came out and said he was wrong and that his guess... and thats ALL these analysts can ever do is GUESS... was not only too early, but now he has NO IDEA on when the bottom may come in.

The Bank of Japan intervened last night with their currency, and it rebounded a full 300 points. The real fun however, was with the FTSE MIB exchange in Italy, which plummetted, was halted for awhile, then fell another 5% after it re-opened.

Watch for a bank run or bank holiday soon on the penninsula of pasta and saints.

Subsequently, the US markets decided to capitulate to levels not seen in nearly a year as the DOW was down more than 400 points, and the S&P is just 17 points from going below 1200.

Gold and silver have been shaken a bit with massive margin calls, and once again, potential margin hikes by the CME.